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When discussing race and ethnicity, most people think they are one in the same. However, there is a difference which some people learn the hard way. Race is described as that which, defines a person’s physical characteristics, such as skin color, hair color, eye color, etc (About, 2008). Ethnicity is defined as “social groups with a shared history, sense of identity, geography and cultural roots which may occur despite racial difference” (About, 2008).
Since the beginning of time, civilization has been marked by discrimination and prejudice. Discrimination and prejudice stem from many years of hatred toward others. People have suffered greatly due the injustices of those who have discriminated against them. Sadly, society has chosen groups they feel are weak and/or different and cast them aside as if they were animals. Such discrimination dates back for hundreds even thousands of years. Many have been discriminated against because of their race or ethnicity, others because of the sexual preferences or religion. Either way, discrimination and prejudice have had significant negative effects on those who witnessed it. The people who have witnessed and experienced such discrimination and hatred firsthand are the people of Rwanda.
Rwanda is a densely populated country in Africa. According the statistics provided by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2008), the population in Rwanda is 10,186,063. The population in Rwanda consists of three major ethnic groups, which are the “Hutus (88%), Tutsis (11%), and Twa (Batwa) pygmies (1%)” (Pike, 2005, Para 2).
For years, “the Tutsis formed the dominant caste under a feudal system that was based on cattle holding” (Matthews, 2006, Para 5). Although they spoke the same language, there was significant conflict between them due to stereotypes, which they created. While the Batwa were considered inferior and weak due to small height, the Tutsi were considered superior and powerful due to tall height (Mathews, 2006). They created a division between themselves that was very political. However, despite their differences, they practiced the same religion and spoke the same language. Though their differences were minor, the groups refused to live in harmony.
The Batwa are known throughout Rwanda as Pygmies. The Batwa or Pygmies as they are known rely heavily on the forest for survival (McCarthy, 2007). The Batwa were forest dwellers who lived as hunter-gatherers for hundreds of years. Although few still live in the forest, most of the Batwa were pushed to the outskirts and forced to live in modern society. However, coming to terms with modern society has proved quite difficult (McCarthy, 2007).
Today, the Batwa who still rely on the forest live in extreme poverty. They live in huts “about six feet wide and constructed with sticks, salvaged wood scraps, dried grass, and old clothing; some are shared by eight people” (Mathews, 2006, Para. 6). Because they do not rely on modern society to survive, they are considered illiterate. Many of the Batwa do not know how to read or write. The Rwandan literacy is very poor at only 67%. “Net primary school attendance is 75%, with equal proportions of girls and boys. Only 15% go on to secondary school” (Kattenburg, 2005).
What we now know as the Volcanoes National Park, was once the home of Batwa. That is until most of them were forced out of their humble homes by the government because they were considered poachers (McCarthy, 2007). After being forced out their homes the Batwa had to integrate into more civilized cultures without knowing how to read, write or live in any other environment (McCarthy, 2007).
Sadly, the Batwa transition into modern society has been horrific. The Batwa have experienced many instances of discrimination and prejudice. The only thing the Batwa could do to survive was beg. “Worse, they had long been seen by many Rwandans from both the country’s main ethnic groupings, Hutus and Tutsis, as untouchables, less than human, and prejudice against them was widespread and very strong” (McCarthy, 2007, Para, 14).
Many opposed the Batwa migration in the modern world with much hatred. The Batwa have been portrayed as depraved, poor, immoral and social outcasts. The Batwa children were ridiculed and displaced from the schools because they could not afford to pay for their textbooks (Kuttenburg, 2005). Their transition became so difficult that due to lack resources for food and income, the Batwa women “only ate once every two to three days” (Mathews, 2006, Para 10). Additionally, Mathews also states that, “the Batwa transition is far worse than most statistics suggest, because in Rwanda, it is against the law to be Batwa, or even to recognize that such a people as the Batwa might exist” (Para 11).
Today, the Batwa are still affected by the discrimination and prejudice that haunts Rwanda. In the hopes for survival many Batwa were forced to do the only thing their culture knew; pottery. The Batwa used clay found near their inhabited area to make cooking pots. However, due to government research on rice cultivation, now the Batwa are being denied the use of the clay (Mathews, 2006). Unfortunately, because of such extreme poverty and no resources for food, the Batwa are disappearing.
Those that have chosen to integrate into society are faced with constant discrimination and prejudice. “Batwa children say they dislike going to school because other children throw things at them and call them dogs” (Matthews, 2006, Para 12). The degrading has been so horrific that the Batwa people are ashamed of whom they are.
In 1906 a young man named Ota Benga, lived one of the most degrading and appalling 12 years any one person could ever live. In a book written by Glausiusz (2008), she recounts Ota’s tormenting life:
Ota Benga, a member of the Batwa people of the Congo, spent 12 years in tormenting exile: After being sold to an American missionary, he was put on display at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, then exhibited in the monkey house at the Bronx Zoo, then sent to work in a Virginia tobacco factory. In 1916 his loneliness drove him to borrow a revolver, build a ceremonial fire, and shoot himself in the heart.
Ota’s exhibition in the zoo was the beginning of extensive outrage for many. This torture was an eye-opener to the appalling degrading the Batwa had to endure. William T. Hornaday, the director of the zoo “saw no difference between a wild beast and the little Black man” (Miller & Ejikeme, 2007, Para 4). Miller & Ejikeme (2007) continue by stating, “This toxic blend of bigoted exoticism and cultural domination sets the context for understanding why many are appalled by the Woodland Park display” (Para, 5).
Rwanda has taken many steps toward recovery; however, the government still refuses to acknowledge the Batwa exist. Although the Batwa are a part of the race that makes up Rwanda they are still being treated as if they are less than human because of their ethnicity. Sadly in 2001 a zoo in Seattle decided to make an African Village. This village will be used as the “interpretive stage for its Masai warriors” (Miller & Ejikeme, 2007, Para 9).
Many changes have occurred due to evident conflicts between nations and cultures. Progress is evident in many countries; however, it has not been an easy task. The Nation has changed its views and perspectives and realized the injustices that have been done. However, although civilizations have evolved and people’s views have changed, the practice of discrimination, prejudice and hatred toward races, cultures and ethnicities still exists.
About(About 2008 Race – Definitions of Key Race Relations Terms)((99(. (2008). Race – Definitions of Key Race Relations Terms. Retrieved from About.com Web site: http://racerelations.about.com/od/skillsbuildingresources/g/racedef.htm
(About 2008 Ethnicity)About. (2008). Ethnicity. Retrieved from About.com Web site: http://racerelations.about.com/od/skillsbuildingresources/g/ethnicityrace.htm
Central Intelligence Agency: World Fact book. (2008). Rwanda. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/rw.html
Char Miller, Anene Ejikeme. (2007, September 7). A zoo replays old stereotypes of Africa. The Christian Science Monitor,p. 9. Retrieved from Business Dateline database. (Document ID: 1331495331).
Glausiusz, J. (August 2008). Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. (Brief article) (Book review). Discover, 29, 8. p.73(1). Retrieved from General OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS
Kattenburg, D. (Oct 2005). Rwanda. New Internationalist, 383. p.36(1). Retrieved from General OneFile via Gale:
http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS
Matthews, L. (2006, July). The People Who Don’t Exist. Cultural Survival Quarterly, 30(2), 25-27, 29-30, 32. Retrieved from ProQuest database. (Document ID: 1207609791).
McCarthy, M. (2007, December 20). Pride Restored to the People Who Lost Their Forest: [1st Ed.]. The Independent, p. 28. Retrieved from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 1401443841).
(Pike J 27 Military: Rwanda Civil War)Pike, J. (2005). Military: Rwanda Civil War. Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/rwanda.htm
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